Track Listing

1. Get The Party Started (Sweet Dreams Mix) - Pink
2. I'm A Slave 4 U - Britney Spears
3. Family Affair - Mary J. Blige
4. Whenever, Wherever - Shakira
5. Ain't It Funny - Jennifer Lopez
6. Livin' It Up - Ja Rule
7. Roll Out (My Business) - Ludacris
8. Lights, Camera, Action - Mr. Cheeks
9. Raise Up (All Cities Remix) - Petey Pablo
10. Caramel (Trackmasters Remix) - City High
11. Turn Off The Light - Nelly Furtado
12. Gone - *Nsync
13. Emotion - Destiny's Child
14. Differences - Ginuwine
15. Drowning - Backstreet Boys
16. Stuck In A Moment - U2
17. Just Push Play - Aerosmith
18. Dig In - Lenny Kravitz
19. I Wish You Were Here - Incubus
20. Giving In - Adema

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49423 in Music
• Released on: 2002-03-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
By now it's safe to surmise that as long as there are hits, there'll be Now That's What I Call Music! compilations. The ninth collection in the ultra-successful series serves up pure pop, mainstream R&B, and radio-ready rock in a vibrant, smartly sequenced mix. Here those who're likely just passing through the charts on their way to obscurity rub shoulders with transcendent talents on the level of Mary J. Blige and U2. But that's part of the charm of these sets. Who knows where Petey Pablo will be in five years, but it's safe to say his rambunctious "Raise Up" will still be transporting fans back to 2001 years from now. And it's a fair guess that plenty of those fans will be listening to it as it appears between tracks by Mr. Cheeks and City High on their copy of this 20-track time capsule. --W.C. Sweeney

Customer Reviews

are these chart topping hits??
To see if these songs are chart-topping hits as they claim to be, i compiled a list of the songs and their peak position on the Hot 100 billboard chart:

1. Get The Party Started (Sweet Dreams Mix) - Pink---#4
2. I'm A Slave 4 U - Britney Spears----#27
3. Family Affair - Mary J. Blige-----#1 (6 wks)
4. Whenever, Wherever - Shakira----#6
5. Ain't It Funny - Jennifer Lopez----#1 (5 wks to date)
6. Livin' It Up - Ja Rule-----#6
7. Roll Out (My Business) - Ludacris----#17
8. Lights, Camera, Action - Mr. Cheeks----#16
9. Raise Up (All Cities Remix) - Petey Pablo-----#22
10. Caramel (Trackmasters Remix) - City High-----#18
11. Turn Off The Light - Nelly Furtado-----#5
12. Gone - *Nsync-------#11
13. Emotion - Destiny's Child-----#10
14. Differences - Ginuwine----#4
15. Drowning - Backstreet Boys------#31
16. Stuck In A Moment - U2------#52
17. Just Push Play - Aerosmith-----DID NOT CHART
18. Dig In - Lenny Kravitz-----#31
19. I Wish You Were Here - Incubus------#72
20. Giving In - Adema ----DID NOT CHART

hope this was helpful !

NOW! That's Better
I Skipped reviewing Now! 8 because it wasn't worth reviewing, but I will review Now! 9, and this album is back in this lines of the NOW! series numbers, 4, 5, 6 and 7, the albums I consider to be the best ones in the series, and Now! 9, is right there. There are alot of surprising picks for songs on 9, like "Whenever, Wherever"(Shakira, which I am glad is on here)(Track 4), "Family Affair"(Mary J. Blige, another good one)(Track 3), "Aint It Funny"(Jennifer Lopez)(Track 5), "Stuck In A Moment..."(U2)(Track 16) and "Just Push Play"(Aerosmith)(Track 17). The only track I am not sure of is Track 20 by Adema "Giving In", I'm not sure if I like it or not. This Now album will get alot of use. Even songs like "Livin' It Up" (Track 6, by Ja Rule) and "Rollout"(Track 8 ,by Ludacris) are also good choices. This album gets a A-. Here are some choices for NOW! 10, which is next, Leann Rimes, "Can't Fight The Moonlight", Kylie Minogue's "Cant Get You Out Of My Head" and Brandy's "What About Us?". Now! 9 is a good buy.

A Great Party On One CD
Call it coinsidence, but the Top 3 Albums in the U.S. when "NOW 9" was released in late March 2002 were all compilations. (1)"NOW 9", (2) "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack and (3) "WWF Forceable Entry". What does this mean? That America enjoys compilation albums, and "NOW 9" gives them a great reason to. The album is a catchy, vibrant collection of late 2001 hits that always keeps everything moving:
(1) Pink feat. Redman "Get The Party Started/Sweet Dreams" B-. Considering how praised the original was, I'm sure most people were not wanting this remix. It's not that bad, it just lacks the stormin' energy and style of the original. But as compensation we get catchy Redman raps and an interesting use of The Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)".
(2) Britney Spears "I'm A Slave 4 U" A-. Proof that the Neptunes are the greatest producers out there: they make Britney sound good! Their production mixed with a very tight beat, create a catchy, sexy dance song flowing with style. The entire song just brings you into it.
(3) Mary J. Blige "Family Affair" A+. This is what R&B, and music in general, should be. The material is standard but is given a new vibrant life with top notch rhythm, highly enjoyable lyrics and Mary's firey personality. This is THE best song for both her and 2001! I dare you not to enjoy it!
(4) Shakira "Whenever, Wherever" A. Shakira makes the transition from latin to pop with perfect ease. The song noit only keeps its Latin roots, but contains a quirky and catchy beat with some very original writing. It's small little treasure.
(5) Jennifer Lopez "Ain't It Funny" A. Another pop song that keeps it's latin influences. The remix was the #1 hit, but this trumps it in every way with more depth and emotion. J. Lo has true conviction in her lyrics and the track really hits hard under the surface with a perfect flow.
(6) Ja Rule feat. Case "Livin' It Up" B+. Back when Ja Rule didn't make standard music. The song contains alot of style, energy and rapid lyrics that always keep it moving. Even the R&B side with Case mends in well. A well done rap track, just not as good as "Always On Time".
(7) Ludacris "Rollout (My Business) A. The material seems standard, yet Luda finds a perfect vehicle with his southern style and some humorous lyrics. It's clearly one of his best and one of 2001/2's as well.
(8) Mr. Cheeks "Light, Camera, Action!" A. The song seems so standard, yet is so entertaining that it becomes a quite impressive debut single. Tight lyrics, killer beats and a top notch production make this a highly enjoyable and infectious dance/rap single.
(9) Petey Pablo "Raise Up" (All Cities Remix) C+. For some reason, this was hailed as an inventive rap, but it has too many problems. The lyrics are pretty standard, his voice is not very entertaining and the beat is not very good. If nothing else the song has some true energy to it.
(10) City High "Caramel" (Trackmasters Remix) A-. After "What Would You Do" and "City High Anthem", it's nice to see the groups lighter side. The track doesn't break new ground but is very catchy and has a great production and style to it. I just don't understand why Eve isn't given top billing, she's one the best parts of the song.
(11) Nelly Furtado "Turn Off The Light" A-. At the bare minimum, Nelly Furtado id different. This track has one of a kind writing and a unique beat. Nelly brings her own style to the song, making it sound like nothing else out there and packing uncanny depth and emotion.
(12) *N Sync "Gone" A-. Pop group or not, they create a quite and powerful R&B tune here. It's such a change to hear them without the flashy beats and upbeat lyrics. "Gone" succeeds to the degree that it does becuase it inspires the true emotions it aims to cause.
(13) Destiny's Child "Emotion" C. Always know for bold, firey songs like "Bootylicious", the girls fail to deliver the goods here. The song is a cover to bgin with, but they don't make it their own and in the end turns out to be standard, old fashioned R&B.
(14) Ginuwine "Differnces" B. This track works primarily because of Ginuwine's charisma and the style in his his voice. It's on the safe side, yet has true conviction and is sort of catchy. Good, but could have been better.
(15) Backstreet Boys "Drowning" A-. I'ts a huge relief to know that the Backstreet Boys can still deliver a terrific love ballad. This is one of their best ones, mainly due to lyrics that carry more weight and dimension than expected. A very good listen.
(16) U2 "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" A. A perfect pop/rock song flowing with weight, depth and dimension. U2 is able to accomplish so much with only a few lyrics. This is one heartbreaking song that should bring tears to everyone's eyes.
(17) Aerosmith "Just Push Play" B-. A dissapointment to hear after the U2 song, and not as good as "Jaded" either. It just seems plain and average for a rock song, but atleast the group still adds in their trademarked style and energy.
(18) Lenny Kravitz "Dig In" B. The exact work we expect Lenny to deliver, bt not much more. The guitars rock and Lenny is as talented as ever, but it never amounts to anything more than that. Lenny decided to take some time off.
(19) Incubus "Wish You Were Here" A-. Incubus tactic of kicking back and letting the music flow is such a refereshing breeze. This has both light insturmentals and lyrics that carry some emotion and turn out to be rather easing. This is a nice change of pace in the rock world.
(20) Adema "Giving In" B. A good hard rock track that is entertaining, just not that memorable. It starts out intriging, then falls into the safe zone for the genre. Not bad. yet still leaves you unsatisfied.
Bottom Line: ***1/2. The album may drag a little bit towards the end, but everything else hsas been so terrific that we don't mind. As usual, "NOW" has alot of diversity with something for everyone to enjoy. This one is definetly a keeper.